Guangxi Petrochemical Refining and Chemical Integration Transformation and Upgrade Project Latest Progress Announced! Includes 400,000-Ton EVA Unit

On August 21, the furnace baking work for the ethylene unit cracking furnaces of the Guangxi Petrochemical Refining and Chemical Integration Transformation and Upgrading Project was fully completed, laying a solid foundation for the smooth commissioning and start-up of the project in October.

Guangxi Petrochemical is a single-series, fully integrated refinery with a capacity of ten million tons. The project employs a fully hydrogenation-based process flow, utilizing internationally advanced technologies from UOP, DOW Chemical, and others. It boasts advantages such as high safety and environmental protection levels, strong adaptability to crude oil processing, comprehensive supporting facilities, and high-quality clean products. The refinery covers an area of over 3,800 mu and currently operates 23 major processing units and a complete utility system, including a 10 million tons/year atmospheric and vacuum distillation unit, a 3.5 million tons/year heavy oil catalytic cracking unit, a 2.2 million tons/year continuous reforming unit, and a 4 million tons/year residue hydrodesulfurization unit. All processed crude oil is imported from abroad, primarily sulfur-containing crude oil from the Middle East. The refinery produces gasoline, diesel, aviation kerosene, aromatics, polypropylene, liquefied gas, asphalt, and sulfur products. It is based in Guangxi, serving the surrounding areas, and exports to countries such as Singapore and Australia.

This project involves the construction of new ethylene and downstream units with an annual capacity of 1.2 million tons based on the existing primary crude oil processing capacity of 10 million tons per year at Guangxi Petrochemical, thereby achieving integrated refining and chemical transformation and upgrading.

The refining block relies on the existing 30 main production units to construct a new 2 million tons/year diesel adsorption de-aromatization unit and a 400,000 tons/year C2 recovery unit (including a 100,000 tons/year catalytic dry gas C2 recovery unit and a 400,000 tons/year C2 recovery unit, built in the chemical zone), with 2 main production units decommissioned. After the project's completion, the overall processing flow of the refining block remains unchanged, and the product scheme of the refining part remains consistent with the current situation, but the annual output of gasoline and diesel will be reduced, providing a large amount of high-quality raw materials for downstream ethylene units.

Fourteen new main chemical units will be constructed in the chemical industrial area, including a 1.2 million tons/year ethylene unit, a 550,000 tons/year cracked gasoline hydrogenation unit/styrene extraction combined unit, an 180,000 tons/year butadiene extraction unit, a 100,000/60,000 tons/year MTBE/butene-1 unit, a 350,000 tons/year aromatics extraction unit, a 400,000 tons/year full-density polyethylene unit (FDPE), a 300,000 tons/year high-density polyethylene unit (HDPE), a 300,000 tons/year tubular ethylene-vinyl acetate unit (EVA), a 100,000 tons/year autoclave ethylene-vinyl acetate unit (H-EVA), a 400,000 tons/year polypropylene unit (PP), a 50,000 tons/year hexene-1 unit, a 270,000/600,000 tons/year propylene oxide/styrene monomer unit (PO/SM), a 300,000 tons/year polystyrene unit (PS), and a 120,000/80,000 tons/year solution-polymerized styrene-butadiene rubber integrated unit (SSBR/SBS).

Once the project is completed and put into operation, it will facilitate the transformation of PetroChina Guangxi Petrochemical from a "fuel-type" enterprise to one focused on "chemical products and organic materials". This signifies a shift from a refinery-dominated base industry to a modernized "basic + high-end" energy chemical materials industry. It holds significant importance in filling the regional gap in high-end chemical new materials, meeting market demand along the new western land-sea corridor, and establishing a trillion-yuan petrochemical industry cluster targeting ASEAN.

• On July 10, it was reported that China Petroleum Guangxi Petrochemical's 400,000 tons/year high-density polyethylene unit, part of its refining and chemical integration transformation and upgrading project, was officially handed over with high standards.

• On June 25, twelve unit projects of the Guangxi Petrochemical Refining and Chemical Integration Transformation and Upgrading Project—including the ethylene plant general transportation works, underground pipeline works, static equipment installation works, dynamic equipment installation works, and others—passed inspection and acceptance.

• On June 2nd, the chemical ground flare system of the PetroChina Guangxi Petrochemical Refining and Chemical Integration Transformation and Upgrade Project was officially introduced to natural gas and is about to be put into use.

• At 17:00 on May 5th, the last target point of the high-pressure steam pipeline network of PetroChina Guangxi Petrochemical Company's integration project passed the inspection, marking the successful completion of the main steam pipeline purging work.

• On April 20, the 400,000-ton per year aromatics extraction unit of the Guangxi Petrochemical Refining and Chemical Integration Transformation and Upgrade Project, which was constructed by the East China Company of Global as an EPC general contractor, was successfully handed over.

• On February 28, 2025, the mechanical completion of the chemical low-temperature tank area and the ethylene spherical tank group for the Guangxi Petrochemical Refining and Chemical Integration Transformation and Upgrading Project was successfully achieved.

• On December 6, 2024, the 400,000 tons/year polypropylene unit recovery gas tower (3600-C-5260) and recovery gas tower condenser (3600-E-5261) equipment assembly of the Guangxi Petrochemical Refining and Chemical Integration Transformation and Upgrade Project were hoisted into place in one go.

• On November 28, the bidding announcement for the purchase contract of vinyl acetate injection pumps for two EVA units of the Guangxi Petrochemical Refining and Chemical Integration Transformation and Upgrading Project of PetroChina was released.

• On October 26, 2024, the 180,000-ton/year butadiene extraction unit and the 100,000/60,000-ton MTBE/Butene-1 unit of the Guangxi Petrochemical refining and chemical integration transformation and upgrading project officially commenced construction.

• On September 15, 2024, the last tower equipment, the high-pressure depropanizer tower, in the compression area of the Guangxi Petrochemical Refining and Chemical Integration Ethylene Project was successfully installed in one lift.

• On August 21, 2024, the C-5002 ethylene tower of the 1.2 million tons/year ethylene unit of the Guangxi Petrochemical Project was successfully hoisted in one go, achieving the milestone target of completing the installation of all five major towers of the ethylene project. As of now, the project team has completed the ethylene tower, the quench water tower, the quench oil tower, and the first...#Propylene TowerThe installation work of all the "five major towers" of ethylene, including the second propylene tower, has been completed. The overall progress of the ethylene unit has reached 47.75%, and the construction progress has reached 29.53%.